Mother of Berries, ACDC, or Chocolope: Examination of the Strains Used by Medical Cannabis Patients in New England.

Medical marijuana patients often believe that specific strains are more efficacious at treating their conditions. The goals of this investigation were to determine: (1) how many strains of cannabis are there; (2) which strains are used by medical cannabis (MC) patients; and (3) are there any differences in the strains used by patient condition? Study I involved quantifying the number of strains listed in the online database leafly.com and categorizing these by whether the strain name included a gustatory component. MC patients (N = 455) from New England completed an anonymous online survey about their medical history and strain preferences in Study II. There were 1,987 strains listed. Hybrids were significantly more likely than Cannabis indica strains to have a gustatory title. Strain preferences were highly state/dispensary specific with one-fifth of MC patients in Maine preferring Mother of Berries (M.O.B., 21.5%). Many respondents mentioned that they had developed a time-dependent pattern with sativa use during the day and an indica for nighttime use and for improving sleep. There is some general consistency across dispensaries in that hybrid strains and C. indica were most common. Further longitudinal and controlled investigations are necessary to identify the strains that are most efficacious for specific conditions.